1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns an ergonomic printer which can be used in the cockpit of an aircraft, for example.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Printers are increasingly used for pilot/onboard computer dialogue in aircraft.
The printer is used to print messages or diagrams (a flight plan or a map, for example) without disturbing the information shown on the cockpit displays.
Conventional printers require complex operations that are difficult for a pilot seated at the controls of an aircraft who rarely has both hands free at the same time.
This is particularly so in the case of operations to load and unload the printer and to clear a paper jam.
The paper used in this type of printer is in the form of a continuous roll.
To load the printer the paper roll must be inserted into a magazine and its free end must be correctly inserted into the feed and guide system which passes the paper into the printing area of the printer (the area in which a print head moves).
This loading operation, which requires the use of both hands, is made all the more difficult in that the end of the roll is rarely cut off straight and is frequently torn and ragged.
The introduction of this ragged edge into the access orifice of the guide system (usually a narrow slot) is therefore particularly difficult.
A particular object of the invention is to eliminate these drawbacks by providing a printer whose design and operation are specifically conceived so that all operations, including loading and clearing of jams, can be carried out with one hand only and engage the attention of the pilot for only a very short time.